Uncharted Territory
by codyblair
Summary: Everything was perfect— until it wasn't anymore. Spencer and Toby's life together is in bliss, until Toby's ex-girlfriend returns with a little surprise that might just push them all into uncharted territory.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Good morning, beautiful," a very happy Toby Cavanaugh whispered into his girlfriend's ear, grinning from ear to ear as he did so. "I hate to wake you, since you look so adorable when you sleep, but I couldn't wait to surprise you. Happy anniversary."

The brunette groggily giggled as she accepted the breakfast in bed that he had made for her, as well as the roses he had brought. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked him in for a quick kiss. He rolled down on the bed next to her, snuggling up. His lips brushed against her cheeks while she licked some of the whipped cream from the strawberries off of her finger.

"Happy anniversary to you, too, handsome boy," she said back in that raspy voice of hers that he loved so much. "Thank you for all of this. It's already way better than what I got you—"

"Whatever you got me is going to be amazing, no matter what it is, because it's from you," he told her, cupping her cheeks right after he spoke. "You know I love you so much, right?"

"Of course I know. And I love you," she laughed, pecking his lips again. "So, are you finished spoiling me?"

"Oh, no. I haven't even started the spoiling!" he teased, brushing his lips against her cheek again. "We have major plans tonight. I wasn't going to let this anniversary fall short of our last one. Our last one was amazing, so I have to top that. We have dinner reservations tonight at Buccali's."

"Buccali's?" Spencer cried. "How did you score that? That's amazing. You have to make reservations like... months ahead."

"And guess what I did," he chuckled. "I've been preparing for this day for quite a while. I want everything to be perfect. This is a really important day for us as a couple, and I can't wait."

"Really, and what is so important about today, besides the fact that it's our anniversary?" Spencer asked.

"You'll just have to wait and see tonight at dinner," he answered, and then kissed the top of her head. "Enjoy your breakfast. I have to quickly run to Caleb's. I know it must sound stupid, but it's important. I hate to leave you on this monumental day."

"It's fine," she said, stroking his arm. "Call me when you get back, okay? I have a little pre-present for you when you return, but I'm just going to head over to Aria's. She's having her own romantic issues, and she could use a shoulder right now."

"Alright, have fun. And yeah, I'll call you when I'm coming home," he said, smiling at her.

Spencer and Toby were crazily in love. They had been dating for two years now— no breaks at all. She was 24 years old, and was finally settled with the one person she always knew was the love of her life, as cheesy as it sounded. They had dated back in high school for another two years, but broke up a while after she started college. They both had their own lives to get to. In that period they were broken up, they tried to move on with their lives, but when they both returned to Rosewood, it was clear what they wanted— to be together again. So, after a while apart, they finally reunited when she was 22 years old. And to make things even better, it was on their high school relationship's anniversary day: November 6th.

/

"Spencer!" Aria exclaimed, jumping up and into her best friend's arms when she opened the door. "I'm so happy you stopped by. Happy anniversary to you and Toby, babe. This is so exciting! Two years of being together without any breaks. What are you guys doing to celebrate?"

"Being the douche he is, he's making me feel bad about how amazing he's being, and how horrible I'm being— unintentionally, of course," Spencer told her, sighing, and then sitting down on the couch.

"Well, that's quite an ironic statement," Aria laughed, sitting down next to Spencer on her couch. "So, I'm guessing he has elaborate plans to make this the greatest anniversary ever, huh?"

"Yes, yes he does," she said. "I mean, I got him a present. I would never forget our anniversary! I got him this expensive-ass watch, but money doesn't buy love. I wish I had thought of some heartfelt gift to give him. I was thinking about rewarding him with something sexy—"

"Seriously? You sound like Hanna," Aria joked. "Do her signature move: wear five inch heels and nothing else."

"Toby is heading to Caleb's for a while, so I have time to surprise him when he gets back," Spencer said with a smirk on her face. "Maybe I didn't take Hanna's suggestion when I was a seventeen-year-old in high school, but I'm twenty four years old now, and there is nothing wrong with me doing something like that for him now, right?"

"Of course not!" Aria told her, nodding her head. "We are adults now, and if we want to have fun sex lives, then why the hell not? It's a bit weird in high school, but it shouldn't be weird anymore. Have fun with your man, Spence. You deserve it."

"I will!" Spencer exclaimed. "That takes care of the sexy reward I had planned for him, but what about the romantic part? I don't think an expensive watch exactly screams 'I love you'. It screams, 'I'm rich as hell', which frankly, I am."

"There was a time when you didn't like to flaunt your money around," Aria chuckled.

"Well, that's because that money was everything I got from my parents. I'm successful all on my own now, so I have every right to flaunt it. I earned this myself," she said with a proud smile. "Anyways, enough about me! You asked me to come over because of your love life dilemma. What's happening? I thought everything was good between you and Liam..."

"It is!" Aria told her, but then sighed. "I mean, it was. Things were so good between us, Spencer. You don't understand. We were happy, we were doing well, we weren't fighting. Hell, we are happy and aren't fighting, but I don't know if we're doing well anymore."

"I am not following at all," Spencer said, furrowing her eyebrows. "Aria, what's the problem? Liam is perfect for you. If everything is good, then why aren't you good?"

"Because Ezra is back in town," Aria confessed, sighing. "And I can't tell Liam that the most serious boyfriend I've ever had is back in town."

"I still don't see what the problem is. You're with Liam now, and Ezra is ancient history. You guys broke up so long ago. You should have moved on from him by now, right?" Spencer said. Her eyes suddenly went wide with realization, "Oh my god, Aria! You haven't moved on from him, have you?"

"I thought I had!" Aria cried. "Don't get me wrong, I love Liam. I love him a lot. But when I walked into the Brew that day and saw Ezra's face, I'm not so sure that I really ever moved on. There was a time that I thought that he was the love of my life. How can I just stop?"

"This is all up to you. Only you know how you feel. If you are willing to drop what you have with Liam because you still want to be with Ezra, then you should. If that's what you want. I can't tell you who to be with. That would be wrong of me," Spencer told her, patting her back.

"You know what? This is all in my head. I'm just being a weirdo. It's been so long since Ezra and I broke up. What was I even thinking?" Aria laughed. "I love Liam. This thing in my head with Ezra is just a stupid distraction. I'm not going to get anymore distracted from being with the guy I love. It's Liam and Aria. That's the way it's supposed to be. This dilemma is closed, Spencer. Back to you! Let's think of a romantic gift for your boyfriend."

"One thing about Toby's present..." Spencer began, biting her lip. "Aria, I think he's going to propose to me tonight at dinner."

"What!?" Aria cried. "How do you know for sure?"

"I can't know for sure, but the signs are all pointing to it," she said, still biting her lip. "He went to meet with my parents one day, and he wouldn't tell me why. Emily said she saw him at a jewelry store in the mall, which might have just been to buy some random jewelry as a present, but I don't know. And then he's also emphasized how important this day is to our relationship. I think this might be the day he finally proposes."

"Spencer, this is amazing!" Aria exclaimed. "You're going to say yes when he asks, right?"

"Well, if he asks— I can't know for certain until tonight— then there is nothing that would make me happier than saying yes," Spencer explained. "I love him. I'm happy with him. There's nobody I can see myself marrying or spending the rest of my life with other than Toby freaking Cavanaugh. I'm ready to take this step in life if he is."

"If he's proposing to you tonight, then you're going to need a very amazing, nostalgic present," Aria said, grinning. "And even if he's not proposing, an amazing present is going to do nothing but good for your relationship, anyways."

"I think I have an idea for a present," Spencer said with a smirk on her face.

"Whatever it is, I'm in," Aria said, clapping her hands together. "Tell me what it is, and let's get started."

/

Spencer had decided to make her own little twist on Hanna's sexy surprise. "Top or bottom?". That was a joke Toby had said to her while they were staying at a motel, the night before he first kissed her. She held the same shirt, as well as the same pajama pants, that Toby had offered her that day. She used the clothes to cover her completely naked body. She was a little bit nervous. This was the first time she had ever planned a "sexy surprise" for him. Of course, she and Aria had worked on a romantic surprise for later, but the sexy surprise came first.

She started getting ready for the surprise when Toby had called her to let her know that he was on his way home from Caleb and Hanna's house. She heard the door being unlocked, and prepared herself to ask the nostalgic, yet hot, question. She became excited when she heard his footsteps.

"Spencer, I'm home!" he announced. "Where's that present of yours? Are you upstairs? I'm coming up. I can't wait for tonight. Caleb really helped me figure out how to make the dinner perfect—"

When he walked into their bedroom, his eyes widened at the sight of his girlfriend.

"Holy crap," he mumbled.

"Top or bottom?" she asked in a flirtatious voice. "I'm just kidding— neither is better."

With that last line spoken, she dropped both the shirt and the pajama pants to the floor, exposing her naked self. Toby licked his lips and grinned, slowly stepping towards his very naked girlfriend.

"I'm assuming this is my present," he said, chuckling. "This is one hell of a perfect present..."

"I thought you would like it," Spencer laughed. "Don't worry, I have a more romantic present for later. But what's a good anniversary without something a little sexy?"

"You're definitely right," Toby said, leaning in and kissing her lips passionately.

She pulled back for a moment to ask, "What? Are you just going to kiss your very naked girlfriend without taking off your own clothes? Come on, Tobes— take these stupid clothes off."

Toby laughed and threw his shirt off. He leaned back in to kiss Spencer's lips again.

"I love you so much," he whispered.

"I love you, too," she whispered back.

/

"Well, that was—" she began.

"Amazing?" he concluded. "That's what I thought it was. Did you... you know?"

"Are you kidding?" Spencer laughed. "That was so good that I would have been crazy not to."

"Sexy is completed on the anniversary checklist, so where's the romantic part?" Toby asked, turning over to look at his girlfriend. "I could use a little romance now."

"We've got a whole day of romance ahead," Spencer said with a smile. "And not only that, but we also have a whole life of romance ahead. I'm always going to be so in love with you, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life."

"I'm really, really happy you're saying this," he said, intertwining his fingers with here. "I feel exactly the same way. I can see myself in the future, and guess who is by my side? You. My future is nothing without you, Spencer."

"This feels pretty romantic to me," Spencer laughed. "Why don't we get dressed and exchange some romantic presents? You do have a romantic present, right?"

"Would I really be upping my game from last year's anniversary without a romantic present?" Toby asked, grinning. "I did get you a little something for the exchange right now, but the greatest present is going to be given to you tonight at dinner. That's why I can't wait for tonight."

"You don't even know how much I can't wait," Spencer said with a laugh, quickly kissing him.

She got up from bed, and quickly slipped Toby's shirt on, as well as her underwear. He grabbed a pair of shorts from his closet, and slipped them on. Along with that, he put on a muscle shirt.

"I'm going to run to the other room to grab my present for you. I'll be right back," she announced, and then kissed his cheek.

Excitedly, she ran into the other room. She picked up the box with her present in it. To her surprise, there was another bag in the room. She had a feeling it was Toby's present. Being the nosy girl she was, she quickly took a peek in the bag. There were two boxes in there, and one of them was exactly as she expected— it was an engagement ring's box. She tried to contain her excitement, but she let out a quiet squeal. She left the bag alone, and rushed back to the bedroom to give Toby his presents.

"Here's the first one," Spencer said, handing him the watch box.

He smiled as he opened the box up.

"Wow..." he mumbled, his eyes widening. "Dammit, Spencer, this must have been really expensive. Wait, is this the watch I told you I loved when we went to the mall together?"

"I saw how much you loved it, and I had to buy it for you. Don't worry about the money. If you won't treat yourself to a watch, then I will," Spencer told him.

"You are amazing," Toby muttered, and then hugged her. "What's the second one?"

"Open it and find out, silly!" Spencer exclaimed. "In my opinion, this is the better one. The idea was mine, but I had some serious help from our very artistically talented friend Aria Montgomery."

Toby unwrapped the second box. He sighed when he saw it, but it was a good sigh. A happy sigh. There was a lot of nostalgia when he looked at it. It was like reminiscing into his youthful life. He remembered when they were teenagers who were madly in love with each other, and now, they were adults who were still madly in love with each other. He felt like he was exactly where he was supposed to be at the moment.

The present Spencer and Aria made was a Scrabble board with photos of Spencer and Toby collaged all around. It was like a timeline. It began with photos of them from high school, and progressed to the more recent moments. Once they reached the end of the photos, 'I Love You' was written with Scrabble letters, as well as the two words that defined their beginning: Goofball & glyceraldehyde.

"Happy anniversary, Goofball," Spencer said, and then took both of his hands. "I hope you love it as much as I love you."

"Maybe, but I don't love it more than I love you. So I must love you a lot, because I really love your present," he chuckled. "Spencer, this is amazing. It makes me remember how much we have grown since high school. I'm so happy that things have worked out between us. What did I do in those missing years without you?"

"I don't know what I did, but let's not think about that. My life became better when you came back into it," she said. "My life is complete now. You're here, I'm here, my friends are here. And I'm happier than I have ever been, so don't you ever plan on going anywhere."

"I plan on going to dinner tonight, and I'm taking you with me," he laughed, and then pulled her in for a long kiss. "I'm keeping this Scrabble board in our room forever. I will remember this day for the rest of my damn life."

"I can't wait to find out why you're so excited about tonight's dinner," Spencer laughed back, even though she had much certainty about why.

"You will find out very soon," he promised, and then put his arm around her.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

"Looks like someone is here," Toby said, jumping off of the bed. He took Spencer's hand, and they walked downstairs together.

"Who could possibly be here right now?" Spencer asked, groaning. "This better be really important, because they're taking away my Toby time!"

Toby chuckled while he opened the door. He furrowed his eyebrows when he saw the girl standing outside their doorway.

"Caroline?" he asked, shocked. "What are you doing at my house?"

"Oh, trust me, I hate to interrupt your new girlfriend's 'Toby time', but this really is important," she said. "It's really important, actually. I thought it was time that you met Little Baby Cavanaugh. Well, she goes by Watson, but that's just because you weren't around. Come on, Shelby."

Spencer swallowed hard when she saw a little blonde girl walk from behind Caroline. This wasn't what it seemed to be, right? This wasn't, and couldn't be, Toby's daughter, right? Toby didn't have a daughter, right?

"What are you talking about, Caroline?" Toby asked, growing nervous. He didn't want it to be what he thought it was, either. "Who is this?"

"Don't be so rude to her!" Caroline cried, picking the little girl up. "This is your daughter, Toby. Say hello to Daddy, Shelby!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Why now?" Toby demanded, staring at the floor. "Why are you telling me this now? Why didn't you tell me when it happened?"

Caroline Watson was a girl Toby had dated during the 'missing years' of his relationship with Spencer— basically, he dated her a little while after he and Spencer broke up. They had met each other when Toby was doing a carpentry job for her house. She had a boyfriend at the time, but he wasn't a very good one. Toby happened to care about her enough to comfort her throughout her miserable relationship with her now ex-boyfriend Marcus. Once she got out of the relationship with Marcus, she and Toby finally began dating.

He had no idea that he had gotten her pregnant, though. They broke up for many reasons, and she didn't mention that she was pregnant. Out of decency, Toby invited her inside when she dropped the bombshell that Shelby was his daughter. He never signed up to have a daughter, but he got one. He wasn't going to push her away. That was his little girl right there. He didn't know what he was going to do about Caroline or the baby, but he definitely wasn't going to kick Shelby out of his life. This wasn't a part of his plan at all. He had big plans to start a life and family with Spencer, but this bomb came out of nowhere.

"I owed it to tell you at some point," Caroline explained, setting the coffee mug down on the glass table of the living room. "I was afraid to tell you for so long. I moved away to my sister's house when Shelby was born, and when I came back to Rosewood, it was killing me. I saw you around town all the time, and it killed me to not tell you. You have a right to be a part of her life."

"I had the right to be there when you were pregnant, and when she was born, and everything!" Toby cried. "How old is she? How much of her life have I missed out on?"

"Look, I know it was wrong of me to keep this from you, but you have to understand how scared I was!" Caroline cried. "She's almost three years old, okay?"

"Three?" Toby asked with shock in his eyes. "My daughter is about three years old, and you decided not to tell me about her? I don't understand at all. Why would you keep this from me?"

"I thought you would hate me if you found out," Caroline said, sighing. "Don't be mad at me, Toby... We broke up before I found out I was pregnant with her. I didn't want to track down my ex-boyfriend and inform him that I'm having his baby!"

"Not telling me was the worst possible way to handle the situation, Caroline," Toby angrily said. "You think I would have been any more angry than I am right now if you had told me back then? Because right now, I'm not pissed about having a daughter. I'm pissed about not knowing my daughter for three damn years!"

"I know what I did was wrong, but I can't change what I did in the past. I can only change Shelby's future now, and I decided that I want her father to be in her life, so I'm here now. I'm here now, and I'm telling you now. That might not be ideal for you, but that is what is happening right now," Caroline stated, folding her arms.

"Spencer, would you wait upstairs while I finish talking to her?" Toby asked, looking over at her. He sighed and leaned in to kiss Spencer's lips quickly. "I'm sorry. I just need to talk to her alone right now. This is difficult for me to process."

"Um, sure," Spencer agreed, and started to get up.

"Can you take Shelby upstairs with you?" Toby asked, carefully picked up his three year old daughter, and then handed her to Spencer. "She doesn't need to listen to me arguing with her mother."

"I don't want a stranger handling my daughter!" Caroline cried.

"She's not a stranger, she's my girlfriend," Toby angrily said, rolling his eyes. "Not only that, but Shelby is my daughter, too, so if I trust Spencer to take care of her, then she's going to be with Spencer right now. You can go upstairs, Spence."

Spencer went along with what Toby was saying and took Shelby upstairs. She was uncomfortable with the whole situation, and was mute throughout the entire discussion. She knew Caroline probably wouldn't appreciate Toby's current girlfriend butting into their conversation. But Spencer still couldn't believe that her boyfriend had a daughter. It was just weird. She didn't want this new information to change everything between them, but it probably would. Their life plans would be put on hold, and they would be seeing a lot more of Caroline, as well as Toby's daughter. That wasn't Spencer's ideal choice of lifestyle.

"Caroline, I don't know what to do with this information!" Toby cried. "I'm not supposed to have a daughter with my ex-girlfriend. That's never been a part of my plan. I love Spencer. What is this going to do to my relationship? I have to juggle being a father to my ex's baby while I maintain a relationship with another woman?"

"You could always break up with her and come back to me," Caroline said in a flirtatious voice, biting her lip. "We could have the perfect life. Maybe it's a little bit early, but it'll still be right. We can be together, we can raise Shelby, and we can be happy."

"I don't have feelings for you," Toby told her, shaking his head. "I don't want to be with you at all. This doesn't change how I feel about my girlfriend. I may want to be in Shelby's life, but I don't want to be with you again. I'm going to be a good father to Shelby, and I'm going to continue to have an amazing relationship with Spencer. That's what I'm going to do."

/

"Hey," Toby quietly greeted, watching Spencer calmly hold baby Shelby in her arms. "Caroline wants her back right now."

"Is she going home?" Spencer asked.

"No, no she's not," Toby responded with a sigh. "Look, I know it's all hitting us so fast, but we're going to get through this. I offered Caroline the guest room."

"What?" Spencer asked, her eyes widening. "Why would you do that?"

"Spencer, she has nowhere to go. Her sister kicked her out of her house, and she's been staying at an apartment way past her rent in Rosewood," Toby explained. "Besides, it's not Caroline that I want around. I want Shelby here. This will give me an opportunity to be closer to my daughter."

"How are you so calm about this, Toby?" Spencer demanded, standing up. "How can you stand here and be so calm when you have a daughter?"

"I don't know!" Toby practically yelled. "It's crazy, and everything is happening so quickly. I'm trying to keep up, and it's hard for me, but I'm doing the best I can. You didn't ask for this, but neither did I. I'm asking a lot of you to handle me throughout this all, but I want you to. I want you to stay with me."

"I'm not leaving you, but maybe you should have thought about the consequences before you impregnated a woman!" Spencer cried.

"I didn't know I did," Toby argued. "Can we not play the blame game when I was left in the dark about my daughter's existence for three years? She didn't inform me about anything. She just randomly comes to our house and springs this on me!"

"Can I ask you one thing? If Caroline had told you about the baby right when she found out she was pregnant, would you be with her instead of me?" Spencer asked.

"Are we actually doing this right now?" Toby groaned. "I don't know what would have happened, but I do know what is happening. Caroline didn't tell me she was pregnant back then, and I'm here with you right now. And there's nowhere I would rather be than here with you. Does that answer your stupid question?"

She stood in silence.

"I don't want to fight with you because of this. Can we just go to dinner now?" Toby asked. "I don't want to miss our reservation."

/

The dinner didn't exactly go as planned. Spencer wasn't so sure there would be any sort of proposal after what Caroline dropped on them by showing up. Throughout the whole dinner, all Toby could think about was the fact that his ex-girlfriend was snuggled up back at his home with his three year old daughter. Spencer didn't blame him for being so freaked out about the whole situation— it was a crazy situation! But she didn't want everything she had with Toby to get messed up because of what happened.

"I probably already know the answer to this question, but just because I know you tend to shut people out when you're upset, I wanted you to know that I'm here for you," Spencer quietly said. "And I wanted to ask you one important thing: are you alright?"

"Honestly, no. I'm not alright about this," Toby told her, staring straight at the floor. "My world is about to change completely. I was about to go down a completely different path, and now I have a three year old daughter named Shelby. I didn't plan any of this."

"Sometimes life doesn't go as planned," Spencer said, biting her lip. "Look, Toby, I don't like to feel like I've done something wrong when I know I haven't done anything. I'm trying to be supportive, and you are making me feel like I did something wrong."

Toby's face loosened a bit, and he gave her an apologetic look.

"Spencer, I never meant to make you feel that way. This isn't the anniversary dinner I had planned. We were supposed to have an amazing time, and everything was supposed to be great," Toby said with a sigh. "This isn't what I wanted. None of this is what I wanted. And if I made you feel crappy about it, I'm sorry. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Well, I'm here for you. And whatever is in your future is in mine, too, because I'm not leaving you any time soon," Spencer told him, and then reached out to grab his hand.

"Spencer, I really wanted to have a good time tonight, but there's so much on my mind right now, and I just can't think clearly. I'm stressed out," Toby confessed. "You're being understanding of the whole situation, so I'm sure you'll understand that I think we should head home now. I'm not in the mood for a full-course dinner. Unless you're still hungry... are you hungry?"

"No, I'm not," Spencer said in a quiet voice. "You know what? Take care of the bill. I'll be waiting in the car." She dropped just enough cash to pay for the dinner on the table, and then stood up. "Happy anniversary, Toby."

"Spencer..." Toby called after her as she began quickly walking towards the parking lot. He would have followed her, but he had to finish paying the bill for the dinner.

The whole car ride home wasn't too great, either. It was mostly just Toby continuously asking what her problem was, and her continuously denying that there even was a problem. Eventually, the car got silent, and they made it back to their house. And Spencer was not enjoying the fact that Toby's ex-girlfriend was sleeping in the guest bedroom of their house. She was expecting a night full of romance, confessions of love, and most of all— the dream proposal she had been waiting for. She was ready to marry Toby, and he clearly was, too, if he purchased that ring. But of course, something got in the way, and his proposal plan would clearly be put on hold until further notice.

/

"Hey, Cavanaugh!" Caleb Rivers exclaimed when the door opened, and high-fived his friend. "You didn't call last night to tell me how it went, so I'm assuming it was awesome, and it was so awesome that you came back to the house and banged each other all night long. Am I right?"

"You're wrong. There was no banging, and there was no proposing," Toby confessed, sighing. "In fact, I think we may even be in a fight, because she slept facing the other direction last night."

"What? What happened?" Caleb asked, shocked. "Did you chicken out of proposing to her?"

"No, we had a bit of a situation before we headed to the dinner, and that really changed my plan for like... everything," Toby told him, biting his lip.

"Come on!" Caleb cried. "What could possibly change your mind about proposing to Spencer? You love her, she loves you. You guys have dated for a really long time, and it feels like the right time to tie the knot, doesn't it?"

"It did," Toby quietly said. "Until I found out about this little one." He opened the door wider and revealed baby Shelby, who was standing there behind him. "Caleb Rivers, meet my daughter... Shelby Watson."

"You have got to be kidding me!" Caleb cried. "Dude, you have a daughter? And is this Caroline's daughter?"

"Trust me, I was just as shocked as you are— definitely even more shocked than you are, actually," he said, sighing. "Apparently, I got Caroline pregnant before we broke up, and she had baby Shelby without telling me, and didn't care to inform me for three whole freaking years. It was quite a nice surprise to open the door to on my anniversary with my longtime girlfriend!"

"Shit, Toby..." Caleb muttered. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I'm still figuring the plan out myself," Toby told him, and then picked Shelby up. "I have to get to know her. She's my daughter. I'm not just going to abandon her and move on with my life now that I know about her! Until further notice, Caroline is crashing in my guest room. I'm gonna get a crib for Shelby. I have to fix things with Spencer now, too. I acted a bit crappy at dinner, and now she's pissed off. I don't want this situation to push her away. I don't want us to break up because of this."

"Then don't let it break you guys up," Caleb said. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah, of course..."

Just then, Caroline Watson walked into the living room with a cup of coffee in her hands.

"My favorite guy... Caleb Rivers!" Caroline exclaimed. "How are you doing, my friend? Are you and Hanna still nice and strong?"

"Mhm. We've been married for a year now, actually," Caleb told her, folding his arms. "It's nice to be reunited with Satan, Caroline. How are you doing?"

"I'm great. I finally reunited my daughter with her father. Courage is great," Caroline said with a grin.

"It took three years for that courage to kick in, so I don't know if I can exactly pin you as a hero..." Toby muttered.

"Whatever," Caroline said, rolling her eyes. "So, Caleb! Why wasn't I invited to this wedding of yours? I would have loved to see you tie the knot with Hanna. She's such a pleasure. A little bit moronic sometimes, but still a pleasure. She really brings the life to a party with her drunken singing!"

"I see you're still a bitch today," Caleb mumbled. "I don't invite bitches to my wedding, sorry. And by the way, don't insult my wife. She's got her life put together a lot better than you do. For your information, she's no moron. She also would have the guts to inform somebody if they're pregnant, and not hide the baby for three years. But that's just Hanna."

"You're still a dick," Caroline said with a fake smile. "Toby! Where's that pretty girlfriend of yours?"

"Spencer? She's at work," Toby answered. "I asked for a short break from work so I can get my life back into focus. And you know, so I can spend a little bit more time with Shelby while I still am getting to know her. Which I should have been doing for the past three years, but that's just a personal preference of mine!"

Caroline stepped up to Toby and took Shelby out of his arms.

"I should probably feed her now," Caroline announced.

"Wait," he stopped her. "Can I do it? I'd like to have the opportunity to spend more time with her. That's the reason you're even here, Caroline."

"Okay, I get it. You're doing this for Shelby, not for me," she said, folding her arms. "I was afraid of telling you, and I made a mistake, and I'm sorry about it. There's nothing I can do to change what I did in the past. I can only try and be better now. You're just going to have to deal with that, Toby."

"Whatever," Toby muttered. "Caleb, come help me feed her. I'm not exactly the most experienced father out there."

"Alright," Caleb agreed. "See ya later, Caroline."

/

Aria smiled and kissed Liam's lips in the doorway. She stroked his cheeks briefly.

"Babe, I wish you would just stay home with me!" Aria exclaimed, looping her arms around his neck. "Come on... We could have so much fun. Stay up late, watch movies, cuddle, maybe even get a little sexy in the sheets. You know?"

"Oh man, that sounds amazing," Liam laughed, kissing the top of Aria's head. "You know there's nothing I want more than to spend all night with you, but my boss wants to have drinks with me tonight. This could lead me to a promotion at work! If I get a promotion at work, my salary will be off the charts. We'll be set for life. Our kids could go to any college they want."

"Our kids?" Aria giggled.

"Yes, our kids," Liam responded, chuckling. "The only person I could ever see myself raising children with would be you."

"Maybe that dream can come true someday. I would love for our kids to go to any college they dream of, too. So, go get 'em, Liam," Aria said, gazing into his eyes. "Go win that promotion from your boss."

"For you, and our future kids, I will," Liam told her with a grin. "And don't worry, I didn't forget about that staying up late, cuddling, movies, and sexy time offer. I'm going to do my best work to win my boss over about the promotion, but as quickly as I can, too. I'll try and get home before midnight so we can have that fun time. Stay up for me, will you?"

"Of course. As long as you don't come back at something like five AM, I will be happy, and I will be awake," Aria told him, and then kissed his lips again. "You better get going. I don't want you to be late for the meeting."

"Right," Liam agreed, nodding his head. "Goodbye, pretty girl."

"Goodbye, handsome boy," Aria giggled again.

She turned around to finally actually open the door. To both of their surprises, Spencer Hastings was standing outside their door with a smile on her face.

"I would love to inquire about what this is, but I don't want to be late to meet my boss," Liam said, and then turned around to peck Aria's lips one last time. "Have a good night, honey. Don't forget to not sleep for me!"

Aria smiled while she watched her boyfriend leave the house. She opened the door wider for Spencer to enter.

"What brings you over today?" Aria asked with a bright smile on her face. "Did it happen? Did Toby propose? You should have called me last night, right after it happened!"

Spencer's smile faded, and she confessed, "No, he didn't propose."

"Oh, it's alright," Aria said, shrugging her shoulders. "He will at some point. He would be crazy to not want to marry you. We weren't certain that he was ever going to propose, anyways. It's okay to be wrong sometimes, even if you are Spencer Hastings. Did you guys still have fun during your anniversary dinner?"

"It was alright," Spencer explained. "I was hoping for better. We sort of got into a bit of a disagreement. I'm not sure if it was a fight. I couldn't really tell. But Aria, I'm certain he was going to propose to me."

"How can you be so sure?" Aria asked. "If he was going to do it, wouldn't he have done it last night at dinner? It would have been so romantic! Unless he has something even better planned for today—"

"No, I think he was going to do it last night, but he changed his mind. I found the engagement ring in his gift bags, and I was so excited for him to ask me at dinner, but then something came up," Spencer told her, sighing. "Aria, he's a father. He has a daughter."

At that moment, Aria's eyes widened, and her jaw nearly fell off her face.

"What?" she cried. "As in, he's a father to a baby that isn't yours? Since when!?"

"Since three years ago. When we were broken up, he knocked up his now ex-girlfriend, and she decided to not tell him until yesterday. Of course, just as he was about to propose to me!" Spencer explained. "He has a three year old daughter named Shelby. And now, his ex-girlfriend is staying in the guest room at our house. Her name is Caroline. He told me about her before, but he never told me they were serious enough for her to be pregnant! He was just as shocked as I was, though."

"Spencer, this is insane!" Aria cried. "He has a daughter? What are you guys going to do? Have joint parenting of his daughter with his ex-girlfriend? I remember when I was dating Ezra, and we thought Malcolm was his son. Things got so hard. He had to take care of Malcolm, and Ezra and Maggie seemed like one happy family. It felt like I was out of the equation. But luckily, Malcolm wasn't really his son, so everything resolved in time."

"Are you serious?" Spencer asked with a groan. "That doesn't make me feel better at all! I have no idea what we're going to do. Toby has no plan, which is fine, because he's a spontaneous guy. But I have no plan. And I always have a plan! I'm Spencer freaking Hastings! My only resolution to this problem cannot be that his daughter isn't really his. Shouldn't there be some other way to fix this?"

"Yeah, I don't know if I would count on the baby not really being his... that's something I got lucky with," Aria muttered. "But that doesn't matter now. Even if he had stayed with Maggie to take care of Malcolm, I would be fine, because I don't love Ezra. I'm with Liam now, and I love him."

"Right. Now that I've vented about the baby situation, I feel good again. I just needed to get that off of my chest. Let's talk about you now!" Spencer exclaimed. "When I saw you with Liam in the doorway, it seemed like everything was good again. Is that true?"

"Yeah," Aria answered with a smile. "Liam is amazing. He's literally perfect. We're happy together, and I don't know why I was even confused because Ezra came back to town. Liam is the man I love."

"Good, so Ezra is out of the picture completely?" Spencer asked.

"Well, not exactly..." Aria mumbled.

"What?" Spencer cried, her eyes widening. "Aria! I thought you would take care of this. I thought you had made the decision to focus on being with Liam, instead of pining over a relationship that ended years ago."

"I did! Well, I tried," Aria explained. "Look, there's nothing romantic going on between me and Ezra, of course. I love Liam, we're happy, and we're together. I don't want that to change. I planned to cut Ezra out of my life completely, but I ran into him at the Brew yesterday, and he asked me to have dinner with him. And I might have agreed... Okay, I definitely agreed."

"So, it's like a date?" Spencer asked. "What does Liam think about you going on a date with your ex-boyfriend?"

"He thinks nothing of it!" Aria answered proudly. "Because he doesn't know about it... and I will tell him, I just don't feel like it's important. And it's not a date! We're just trying to be friends now. Can't friends have dinner? If I can have dinner with you, I can have dinner with Ezra. It's not romantic. Two friends catching up."

"Two friends that used to date..." Spencer muttered.

"That doesn't matter, and it doesn't change the fact that Liam and I are happy together. I don't want to cut Ezra out of my life completely. I know I can't be with him, and I don't want to be with him. I've told you how much I want to be with Liam. All I want is to be with Liam, and to also be friends with Ezra," Aria explained.

"Alright. Just please, don't hurt Liam or Ezra in this process. Don't cheat on Liam, and don't lead Ezra on when you know you can't be with him," Spencer said. "Okay, if you go to that dinner, and you change your mind about who you want to be with, at least have the decency to break up with Liam before you become romantically involved with Ezra again."

"You didn't even have to tell me that because it's not going to happen," Aria laughed. "I'm never going to cheat on Liam. I'm just going to have friendly conversations with Ezra. It'll be all fun and platonic. And when Liam comes home from the bar meeting with his boss, I'm going to very possibly get frisky with him, and also cuddle and watch movies."

"Lovely..." Spencer commented sarcastically.

/

"Welcome home," Toby greeted when his brunette girlfriend walked through the doors of their house. "Where have you been all evening? I didn't know work went till this late... Was their traffic? Did you have a meeting?"

"Would you stop interrogating me?" Spencer asked, rolling her eyes. "I went over to Aria's house."

"Why?" Toby asked.

"I just said stop interrogating me!" Spencer cried. "But we felt like hanging out, so we did. Liam went to a meeting with his boss, and I decided to spend some time with my friend. Is that a problem for you, Toby?"

"No, no. I'm sorry," Toby said, getting up from the couch. "We've been on thin ice since the dinner, and I don't want to sink. Please, don't forget that I love you through all of this. I don't want to fight."

"We're not fighting," Spencer quietly said.

"Good, so can we not be awkward then?" Toby asked, and then approached Spencer and put his hands on her waist. "Believe me, I hate how much this is changing our relationship. It's impacting our lives, and we can't avoid that. But that doesn't mean we can't be together. We can. We are in this together. I'm not going to leave you behind because of this shocking thing that happened. Neither of us planned this, but we have to learn to adjust. Can we do that?"

Spencer ran a hand through her hair and told him, "I don't know how I'm supposed to do this, okay? I feel lost. I feel helpless! I don't know if I'm supposed to act motherly towards your daughter, or if Caroline is supposed to be the main mother. Is Shelby supposed to have two moms and one dad? I need help figuring these things out. Everything is so weird, and so new to me! Plus, I always thought the first kid you would have would be with me..."

"I wish I could give you all the answers you need, and tell you everything you want to hear, but I can't. I'm so new to this, too, Spence," Toby told her. "Our lives are changing, yes. But the one thing that will never change is how much I love you." He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers.

"Boo, what a sappy moment!" Caroline cried. "I finally got Shelby to sleep. She wouldn't want to see her daddy making out with some new lady. He wouldn't even want to see her daddy making out with me, the mommy! But I'm sure she would appreciate that much more than daddy making out with a new girl. So, why don't you come here and make out with me instead, Toby?"

"You're making me want to kick you out of this house," Spencer told her. "I am on the verge of kicking you out of this house, Caroline!"

"Okay, okay, sweetheart... calm down," Toby coaxed, holding her back by wrapping his arms around her. "Caroline, did you actually leave Shelby all by herself in the bedroom? We don't even have a crib."

"She's three years old, Toby. She's a toddler now," Caroline told him.

"A three year old isn't some sort of adult!" Toby cried. "Don't make me start acting like Spencer. I might lose my temper, too, and then both of us will come after you. Go stay with her in bed. We can go crib shopping tomorrow."

"Fine," Caroline reluctantly agreed. "See you tomorrow for some crib shopping."

Caroline slowly made her way up the stairs, and to her guest bedroom. Meanwhile, Toby turned his attention back to his girlfriend. He smiled, and kissed her lips again.

"Do you want to get to bed?" Toby asked.

"I would love to," she responded, and then took his hand.

The two of them also walked up to the stairs. They headed to their bedroom to get a good night sleep.

/

Toby woke up to the sound of rustling all over the bedroom. His eyes opened up, but he was still groggy from his sleep. He watched Spencer fumbling around the room to find her stuff. She was all dressed up in her gray blazer and pencil skirt— her work clothes for the law firm. She grabbed her bag and started heading towards the door of their bedroom.

"Hey!" Toby called after her. "You're leaving already? We crashed so early last night, and we barely spoke, besides that conversation that was cut off by Caroline. Come on, can't you stay?"

"Well, not all of us can take off time from work," Spencer reminded, and the fixed her hair in the mirror. "Sorry, Toby. I can't. My boss will be mad if I'm late to work, and I don't want to risk losing my job, so yes, I have to go. I'll call you during my lunch break, and I'll see you when I get home. Have fun crib shopping. Pick a good one!"

"You got it..." Toby muttered with a sigh.

He got out of bed, and made himself decent to go shopping with Caroline. He brushed his teeth, took a quick shower, and then dressed himself in a t-shirt and jeans. He made his way downstairs, which was long after Spencer had left for work. He wasn't used to having another person in the house. Spencer was usually gone to work before he woke up in the morning, so he was used to coming downstairs to nobody. Instead, he got two new faces— Shelby and Caroline.

"Morning, sunshine!" Caroline exclaimed. "I made you bacon and eggs. Do you still like that?"

"Uh, yeah. I do. Thank you for that," Toby confusedly answered as he scanned around the kitchen, which was filled with food.

"I thought I would try being a little bit nicer. You're letting me stay here, and I really appreciate that. So I cooked you breakfast. There's your explanation. I know that's why you were all confused and stuff," Caroline laughed.

"Yeah, I was confused," Toby laughed. "I'm glad you're going to pick up your act. It's good for you as a person, and it's good for you as a mother. Will you at least try to be a bit more decent around Spencer? The last thing I want is for you guys to feud..."

"I don't know if we can exactly become the best of friends when I'm the mother of her boyfriend's daughter," Caroline scoffed.

"It is weird, I agree, but make an effort. For me," Toby begged.

"Alright. For you," Caroline agreed. "I fed Shelby her baby food, and once you eat, we can head out to the store to get her a crib, and whatever other baby supplies we need. She could use some more toys."

Toby picked the little girl up from the couch, smiling at her.

"Anything for her," Toby whispered, and kissed the top of Shelby's head. "If my little girl wants toys, then she is going to get all the toys in the world that she wants. She needs to understand that Daddy loves her so much."

Caroline sighed and told him, "Just because she didn't know you from her birth, that doesn't mean she doesn't love you. She is your daughter, and she is going to love you so much, Toby. I know it. You're a pretty damn lovable guy."

"Shh, don't curse in front of her," Toby chuckled, stroking Shelby's hair. "I hope she loves me a lot, because I already love her more than she could ever imagine."

"I'm sure you do. Let me take her. You just eat your breakfast up. The faster you eat, the faster we can get going to the store," Caroline reminded.

/

Aria woke up to an empty bed, but still smiled. She had an amazing night with Liam. He came back before midnight, exactly as she had wanted, and they spent the night having lots of fun. They started out by cuddling and watching movies, and then, of course, they got to the frisky, adult part of their night where they had sex. And everything was all so perfect. She still couldn't believe she had dinner with Ezra that night. She smelled the sweet scent of Liam's cooking from downstairs. He was a great cook, and he loved to make her breakfast. Excitedly, Aria brushed her teeth and hurried downstairs.

"Morning, baby," Liam greeted, putting some bread in the toaster. "Sorry I left bed. I wanted to surprise you with some breakfast, but I guess it's not a surprise anymore..."

"That is totally fine. It's extremely sweet. I don't care that it's not a surprise at all," Aria laughed, and then wrapped her arms around him. "I can't wait to eat this up. It looks really good."

"I hope it tastes really good, too," Liam told her, grinning. "Hey, remember when I told you that I won't be home tonight because of the client meeting I have?" Aria nodded her head. "Well, they shifted it up until next week, so now we get to spend yet another night together!" Liam exclaimed.

Crap, Aria thought. She had dinner with Ezra that night! She was planning on Liam being out at his client meeting.

"Oh! Amazing!" Aria exclaimed. "I can't wait to spend the night with you again. Hopefully it will be just as fun as last night was."

"I'll make sure it is," Liam said with a grin. "Tonight isn't a problem for you, is it? You don't have other plans?"

"Nope," Aria lied, biting her lip. "Tonight is all for you, sweetie."

"Great," Liam commented, and then turned around to kiss her quickly. "I better get back to cooking. I should hurry. I still have to get to work. I should be back home at about five, so then we can have our fun together."

"Yeah, I think I'll just have a work day myself, too. I'll take some photos. The photos for the magazine aren't due until next week, but I'll get an early start," Aria told him. "I have to run back upstairs quickly. I'll be right back, Liam."

"Okay. I'll call you when breakfast is ready," Liam said, and then pecked her cheek.

Aria hurried upstairs, and then dialed Ezra's number.

"Hey... Ezra. Tonight is no good. Something came up. Can you do lunch today instead? You can? Perfect. I'll see you at noon. Let's go to the Grille."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"What about this one?" Toby asked, running his hand along the sides of a bright pink crib in the baby section of the furniture store at the Rosewood Mall. "It's only about 120 dollars. That's the cheapest we've found so far. And it's cute! Really cute! I think Shelby would like it."

Caroline scoffed and said, "A pink crib for my baby girl? Hell to the no, Toby! She resents pink. She's not going to sleep in a pink crib."

"You mean _you_ hate pink and you don't want her to have a pink crib," Toby said, rolling his eyes. "Don't think I forgot how much you hated pink. You thought it was the color to show the weakness of girls. Never made much sense to me, but your opinion is yours. But you can't pretend like Shelby's opinion is yours. I doubt a three year old girl cares that much about the color of her crib, anyways."

"Are you kidding?" Caroline laughed. "Of course she cares about the color of the crib! Mother like daughter. She hates pink, trust me. I know my little girl. She gets upset whenever I show her pink toys and items at the store. But it is sweet of you to remember how much I hate pink."

"Yeah, that wasn't supposed to be a bonding moment, but whatever," Toby said, chuckling. "Maybe if I had known about her earlier, I would know what she likes and dislikes—"

"Toby, come on. How many times are we going to talk about this?" Caroline asked.

"A lot, Caroline!" he cried. "It's not that easy of a thing to get over. But fine, whatever for now. If Shelby doesn't want a pink crib, then she doesn't want a pink crib. Let's keep looking."

"Good," Caroline agreed with a smile. "Will you thank Caleb for watching her for me? I haven't got Shelby off of my back ever since the day my sister kicked me out."

"Yeah, sure. I don't know if Caleb will appreciate a thanking from you, but I will let him know anyway," Toby told her.

"Thank you for that," Caroline said with a small smile. Her eyes shifted to a different crib in the store. "Ooh, Toby, look at that white crib over there! Come on, it's perfect for her! Let's go check the price."

/

Don't cheat, don't lead him on, don't do anything more than try and become friends with him. Spencer's words repeated in Aria's head as she slipped down at a table in the Grille. She loved Liam. She was here to become nothing more than friends with Ezra Fitz. Maybe she overdressed for a casual lunch with a friend... she was wearing a fancy purple dress, and she may have spent more time than necessary doing her hair. Could you blame her? She didn't want to look like crap when she hung out with Ezra for the first time in years! She was the type of girl that liked to make good impressions.

"Aria? Hello," Ezra greeted, shortly after she had seated herself down at the table. "I was going to ask the worker to find me the most beautiful girl in the room, but I found her myself." She giggled, even though she didn't intend to. "You look lovely, Aria. As always..."

She blushed and quietly said, "Thank you. You look good yourself, Ezra. Really dapper in that suit."

"I thought it would be too much for a casual lunch, but I didn't want you to think I looked hideous or something," Ezra chuckled. "But I see you're wearing that gorgeous dress, so I don't feel too overdressed. Maybe this would have been more appropriate for a dinner, though. What happened?"

"Oh, um, I forgot I already had other plans for tonight," Aria told him, biting her lip. "It's no big deal, really. I'm happy you could make it for lunch. Why can't lunch be fancy? I think it can. And it is now."

Ezra laughed and commented, "Wow, you're just as charming as ever. You haven't changed a bit. I love that."

"You've complimented me more than necessary already," Aria bashfully informed him, staring down at her empty plate. "Why don't you tell me about how you have been doing in these years we lost contact?"

"Oh, definitely," Ezra agreed. "I traveled a lot. I can tell you all about my travels, if you would like to hear about them. Paris, London, Australia—"

"How about Paris?" Aria suggested. "The city of romance has always been my favorite."

Ezra's gaze locked with hers, and he agreed, "I love Paris. I should take you there some day. It's truly amazing. So, Paris it is..."

/

"Hanna! How do you make a stupid baby stop crying?" Caleb whined.

"You mean yourself? Because you keep whining about that stupid kid you're babysitting!" Hanna cried, rapidly walking down the stairs. She joined her husband in the living room. "Oh, great. The stupid thing is crying. We are _never_ having children. I hate them!" She paused before asking, "Whose little nasty rat is this, anyways? She's cute, but horrifying."

"This is Toby's daughter," Caleb answered.

"What the hell?" Hanna demanded. "Since when did he knock Spencer up? How have I not known about this? Spencer is one of my best friends, I think she would tell me if she's preggers!"

"Well, that's because this isn't Spencer's kid," Caleb informed her.

"Wait, what?" Hanna asked, shocked. "Toby got another girl pregnant? Oh, please don't tell me it's that bitchy Caroline chick. She was always making fun of me when she was dating Toby!"

"She's just jealous of how perfect you are," Caleb told her with a chuckle, and then pecked Hanna's lips. "Unfortunately, she does happen to be Toby and Caroline's daughter."

"Wow..." Hanna muttered. "I was hoping I would be wrong."

/

"Did you get all the paperwork in?" a cute, brown-eyed young man asked, with the sweetest smile on his face. "You're lucky that you're running this case. It's a good one."

"Yeah, but it also requires a lot of work," Spencer said, letting out a quiet sigh. "I mean, I was prepared for this case. I was hoping I would get it, and I did! But now that I have it, I'm struggling with other things. Right when I get the case I want, my outside life takes a toll on me. So, I didn't get the paperwork done just yet. But I will. I'll have it done soon."

"No worries. You're the hardest worker in here, Hastings!" he exclaimed. "You deserve this case. I know you can do it. And if you do happen to need a hand, I'm here to help you out. I mean without charge, of course."

"Why would you help me for no reason?" Spencer asked, laughing quietly.

"Well, because you're pretty damn great," he responded, leaning back in his chair. "So, things are rough in your personal life? Spencer, we have worked together for a while. If you want to talk to me about it, I'm here for you again."

"Thanks, but it really is a personal matter. We should probably just keep work stuff professional while we're at work, Vincent," Spencer told him.

"No worries again," Vincent said with a grin. "But what about when we're off work? Would you allow me to take you out for a drink and just let you vent all your problems to me?"

Vincent Donovan was one of the most attractive men at the law firm. Even Spencer couldn't deny that. But to be fair, all the other guys were old men, so he didn't have much competition. However, he was still extremely cute. A perfect smile, neatly combed hair, dapper suits, and a little stubbly beard that made him much sexier... He was always trying to help her out, and she was pretty sure he liked her— not certain— but pretty sure.

"Vincent, that's really nice of you, but that sort of feels like a date to me, and I can't go on a date with you," Spencer said, sighing. "I have a boyfriend."

"Hey, hey, I didn't mean to overstep my boundaries! You've clearly misconstrued what I was saying," Vincent stopped her. "I know you have a boyfriend, and I respect that. I wanted to take you out to a drink as nothing more than a friend. I love spending time with you, Spencer Hastings. And I want to hear all about your problems. We can keep it professional in the office, and friendly outside. I mean no harm, just a simple drink while we talk. Your boyfriend wouldn't mind, would he?"

"No, no I don't think he would," Spencer agreed with a smile. "Let's go out for a drink soon. You're right. He's really got his hands full with other things, anyways, so I have free time. Would Friday night work for you?"

"Sure!" Vincent exclaimed. "I can't wait! I'm looking forward to Friday night, then. I know this great little bar up in Philly, and they have some amazing drinks. You'll love it, I promise."

Spencer smiled and said, "I can't wait, either. Blowing off some steam by venting could be very helpful."

"It will be," Vincent told her. "I have great listening ears. When I'm listening to somebody vent, I only talk at the best times. I'll be your perfect listening buddy. I can't wait to strengthen this friendship we have, Spencer Hastings!"

/

"Sir, we're looking for a crib that won't be easy to crawl out of. Our girl seriously has a thing for getting away from where she's sleeping. I keep her on my bed, and she's always trying to leave," Caroline explained. "Would this white crib that I've been totally in love with since I saw it be good for that?"

"Oh, yes, indeed!" the worker exclaimed. "This nice, sleek crib has high walls, so if your girl is one of the escapers, she'll be nice and sealed in this thing. It's a great price, too. 150 dollars. How does it sound to you now?"

"That's a pretty decent price," Caroline commented. "Toby, what do you think?"

She grabbed his arm and shook it with a smile on her face.

"First time crib buyers, huh?" the worker asked with a little chuckle. "You two make a lovely couple. I'm sure your little one will be raised well by two wonderful parents, such as yourself."

"Oh, no... we are _not_ together, I can't stress that enough," Toby denied, shaking his head. "I have a girlfriend that I love very much. I'm not dating this girl. Well, I did, but we broke up. Unfortunately, she happened to let me know that she got pregnant and had my baby very recently. So, now, here we are. But we're not together. I'm dating somebody else—"

"Okay, okay. You're not dating," the worker laughed. "But you should know that parenting can easily bring two people together. Watching your little one grow up together... it's truly beautiful. I wouldn't be surprised if your relationship became more than what it is now again."

"No, stop," Toby said, staring at the floor. "That's never going to happen, and it really isn't your place to make a comment, sir. No more of this. We'll just take the crib and go."

"Sorry. Of course," the worker agreed. "Let me go check this out for you two."

Once he left, Caroline turned to Toby.

"Can you believe what he said?" Caroline asked, scoffing. "That's insane! We are not getting back together because of the baby. You love Spencer, and I get it."

"Yeah, he's being stupid," Toby said, shaking his head. "There's no way in hell that I'm going to get back together with you because of this baby. Or because of anything. Nothing in the world would make me want to get back together with you."

"Seriously? Nothing?" Caroline asked, biting her lip. "Toby, are you joking? Nothing in the world would make you want to date me again? You hate me that much?"

"Alright, fine. There's one thing that would make me be willing to date you again. In fact, I would be more than willing to date you again," Toby responded. "If you transformed into a tall brunette with brown eyes, a witty personality, and the most amazing personality I know named Spencer Hastings. How does that sound, Caroline?"

"Great..." she muttered.

/

"Hey, Spence!" Toby exclaimed when his girlfriend walked through the doors of their house. He approached her and hugged her quickly. "Want to come upstairs and see the new crib for Shelby that Caroline and I picked out?"

"Um, sure," Spencer responded. "I wish I could have been there to help you pick it out, but I had a lot of stuff to do at work, and I'm still not done with it."

"No worries, we picked out a great crib, even without your furniture expertise," Toby laughed, and then took her hand to bring her upstairs to the guest room. "I was thinking we could move Caroline to the other spare room as the guest room— temporarily, of course, and then we could make this one Shelby's room."

"Okay," she responded, scratching her head. "Toby, when are we going to figure out where Caroline is going to stay? We can't have a permanent house guest. And are you going to trade Shelby around like a divorced couple's kid?"

Toby sighed and told her, "I don't know. I'm still figuring things out."

"Well, you need to figure them out. I'm here to help, but this affects my life, too," Spencer reminded him. "I don't like not having a plan, okay? How are you not freaking out about this? You have a daughter."

"I am _so_ freaked out, trust me. But I'm trying to make the best out of a tough situation," Toby explained. "You say you're here to support me, but it doesn't really feel that way."

"I didn't sign up for my life to be changed for a kid that's not even mine!" Spencer cried. "I just feel lost!"

"I didn't sign up for this either!" Toby yelled.

"Well, I'm not the one that got somebody pregnant," Spencer said, rolling her eyes.

"I wasn't trying to have a kid with her, so I didn't sign up for this, either," he snapped. "I thought we were going to deal with this together. You're supposed to be the one person that always supports me through anything."

"I need some certainty here. I can't keep waiting around while we figure out what to do with Shelby, and what to do with Caroline. I wasn't ready to parent a daughter. Things feel like they got so much more complicated in the past few days, and I don't like it. I want things to go back to the way they were," she said.

"I'm scared as hell about so many things. I love my daughter already, and I love you. I don't want to lose you because of the situation that I can't change. I'm _so_ freaking scared that this is going to mess our relationship up, Spencer," Toby told her, staring at the floor.

"How do we fix this?" Spencer asked. "How do come up with a solution together about what to do?"

"What do you want to do?" Toby asked. "I will listen."

"Honestly, I would love to get rid of Caroline and just raise Shelby together. She's your daughter, and I can learn to love her if you do," Spencer responded. "But yeah, I know that's never going to happen. She's never going to let go of her daughter, even if it would make my life so much easier."

"What other option do we have?" Toby asked. "Do we kick her out and share Shelby? It just feels so complicated."

"The last thing I want right now is complicated," Spencer told him, letting out a long sigh. "But I need to know where this is going to lead us. What is happening to our future?"

"I am not going to let this destroy what we have," he assured her, taking both of her hands. "Let's figure this out together. It's a huge bump, but we have been through hell and back together. There is nothing we can't handle."

"You having a daughter seems pretty high up on the scale..." Spencer muttered.

"Okay, yes, it is something completely different than anything we have gone through, but we are still going to get through it. We always do," he said confidently, with a grin on his face. "I think we should ask Caroline if she wants to find an apartment or house, and then we can help her find a job, and then get her settled down. Hopefully some place close, so we can keep in touch with Shelby. It'll be like we babysit Shelby frequently. That sounds like the best plan so far."

"I do like this plan more than the others," Spencer admitted, a small smile forming on her face. "Okay. Take her house hunting sometime, but don't get too close. She already made a kid with you, she doesn't get to have you, too."

Toby chuckled and pecked Spencer's lips.

"Don't even worry about it. I'm only yours," he promised, and then put his arm around her. "So, what are we waiting for? Come check out the new crib we bought!"

/

Caleb had dropped Shelby off at the house earlier, and Caroline took her upstairs for a bath. Meanwhile, Spencer was taking a nap in her bedroom after her long, exhausting day at work. Toby was downstairs in the living room, watching some new political thriller film on the TV. Interrupting his movie was a knock on the door. He sighed, making his way to the door and opening it. He raised his eyebrows when he saw Aria Montgomery standing there.

"Uh, hi, Aria," he greeted, scratching his head. "Is Spencer expecting you to come over? She didn't inform me that you two have plans—"

"No, I came over unexpectedly. And I want to talk to Spencer about stuff, but I also wanted to talk to you," Aria told him, which surprised him a little bit.

It was surprising because Toby and Aria weren't really good friends. Not that they disliked each other or anything... They just had never really gotten to know each other. To Aria, Toby was the guy Spencer had been dating and loved, and to Toby, Aria was Spencer's best friend. They didn't spend much one-on-one time together hanging out. But of course, they still considered each other friends. Well, at least acquaintances...

"You want to talk to me?" Toby asked, confused. "Um, alright. Sure. Come inside. I can let Spencer know that you're here. I think she's upstairs sleeping."

"Wow, it's too early to sleep," Aria commented.

"Well, she had a tiring day at work," he explained. "What's up?"

"You can let her know that I'm here after we talk," Aria told him. "Toby, I know about your daughter. She told me about it, and she's really worried about everything."

"You know? Is that why you're here?" Toby asked. "To tell me she's worried about it? Because I'm worried, too, and I'm doing everything I can to make sure our relationship is still okay."

"No, this isn't about your relationship," Aria answered. "I went through something like this before, back in high school. I was in Spencer's position, and there's just some things I need to warn you about. When I was dating Ezra in high school, he found out that he had a son with his ex-girlfriend Maggie. I felt like crap when he started spending all his time taking care of his son Malcolm, and bonding with Maggie. Please, don't do that to Spencer."

"I'm going to have to spend a lot of time with my daughter," Toby reminded. "I would never try to hurt Spencer—"

"Of course I wanted to warn you about that, but I also want to warn you about the potential of her being a liar. Maggie had lied about Ezra being the father of her son. Turns out, Maggie screwed some other guy and got pregnant, and she blamed the baby on Ezra. He was devastated because of how close he got to Malcolm. I don't want to see that happen to you. I care about you, Toby, and so does Spencer. I know neither of us would want to see _you_ get hurt, either. So do what Ezra did, but do it earlier than he did. Get a paternity test. It'll save you from a lot of pain if you want and get one later," Aria explained.

"You think Caroline is lying to me?" Toby asked. "No, Aria... I appreciate that story, and I'm sorry he went through that. I'm also sorry you went through that. But I saw the look on her face when she came to tell me about our daughter. She couldn't have been lying to me."

"You're hearing me wrong. I'm not saying she is definitely lying. There's a huge possibility the kid is yours, but that doesn't mean she's definitely telling you the truth. All I'm saying is that you shouldn't risk it. You should make sure she's telling the truth," Aria responded.

"I'll think about it. I don't want to upset her. If I tell her I'm getting a paternity test, she'll think I'm accusing her of being a liar or something," Toby said.

"That is no reason not to get one!" Aria argued. "Toby, come on. This girl has waited three years to tell you about your own daughter. What do you owe her? Nothing! You owe her absolutely nothing! Is it that hard to believe that you might not trust her after she kept something this huge from you for three damn years? I don't think it's crazy, Toby. I don't."

"Alright," he agreed. "Thank you, Aria. It means a lot that you were willing to share that story. I think I'm going to get the test soon. Do you want me to go wake Spencer up for you?"

"Yeah, that would be great," Aria said, smiling.

/

"Mm, I'm still tired, but what's up, baby girl?" Spencer asked, yawning.

"A couple things. One, I just told Toby to get a paternity test. Two, I might have screwed up really, really big time with Liam today," Aria mumbled, biting her lip.

"What? And _what_? Tell me what is happening!" Spencer demanded.

"Which do you want to hear about first?" Aria asked.

"Start with Toby. I feel like that's less interesting than your love issues. I was secretly hoping that he would get a paternity test, anyways, but I didn't want to be the annoying one that asked him to, so thank you for that," Spencer laughed. "What did he say? Is he going to get it?"

"He said he thinks he will. Basically, I just told him what happened with Maggie and Malcolm, and then told him it would be a good idea to get the test. I hope he does it, and you are welcome!" Aria said.

"Good!" Spencer exclaimed. "That takes a lot of work off my back. Now, what is happening with you and Liam?"

"Well, to him, we are perfectly fine, but I seriously screwed up," Aria confessed. "You know how you said to not lead Ezra on, and also to not hurt Liam? I might have done both."

" _Aria Freaking Montgomery_ , what the hell did you do?" Spencer demanded, her eyes widening.

"I made out with Ezra when we went to dinner— actually, we changed it to lunch!" Aria cried, biting her lip nervously.

"No, no, no. You did not do that to Liam!" Spencer cried, shaking her head. "What happened? Why did you lose control of yourself like that?"

"Everything he said was so... perfect," Aria explained. "He was being so sweet, he looked so handsome, and we were having such a good time that Liam just became a blur in my memory. But I felt so guilty afterwards, and I also forgot to mention to Ezra that I even have a boyfriend. And I don't want to break up with Liam, okay? I love him, I just made a stupid mistake. Now I'm leading Ezra on, and I'm also hurting Liam. So, I failed."


End file.
